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Things to do this week in NYC Nov 19-Nov 26: Music

Jazz, Hip-Hop, Reggae, or the classics ? New York City venues feature music from all cultures. Whether you're catching an aria at Lincoln Center, or checking out a band at Central Park Summerstage, NYC has a gig you won't want to miss.

The Met's visually extravagant production is back for an encore engagement. Richard Croft once again is Gandhi in Philip Glass's unforgettable opera, which the Washington Post calls "a profound and beautiful work of theater."

Western and Middle Eastern musicians come together with the music of Bach in this rapturous close to the second White Light Festival. Ensemble Sarband, a group long dedicated to musically bridging East and West, joins a choir, saxophonists, and a string quartet in Arabic and jazz arrangements of Bach's Passions, combining them with early Christian chant. This extraordinary cultural cooperation is framed by the meditative dance ritual of Sufi whirling dervishes from Turkey's Mevlevi Order. Art transcends hate: passio becomes compassio.

Rudyard Kipling's beloved mongoose Rikki Tiki Tavi teams up with a self-involved bird named Darzee and a sweet muskrat named Chuchu to rid the garden of the cobra Nag.
Adapted for the stage by Y York, this funny tale of cooperation and growing up is for audiences of all ages.
"We like to do plays for young audiences that have some depth to them, " says artistic director Chris O'Connor, " (plays) that show characters that are struggling with things, have values, friendship, ...and generosity."

Ani DiFranco has written hundreds of songs, played thousands of shows, captured the imaginations of legions of followers, and jammed with folkies, orchestras, rappers, rock and roll hall-of-famers, jazz musicians, poets, pop superstars, storytellers and a martial arts legend. She's "fixed up a few old buildings" and minimized her carbon footprint before it was trendy – from installing a geothermal heating and cooling system in the renovated church that her label calls home to using organic inks on all the t-shirts she sells. But nothing she's done in her 18-year career has garnered more attention than a business decision. Since Ani bucked the major label system in the early-90s, opting to release her music on her own terms, the self-described Little Folksinger has been the subject of all kinds of hyperbole.

Called for well over half a century the "Voice of Lebanon," Wadi Al-Safi is considered that country's most influential singer and composer. Best-known for his interpretations of "mawwals", and for the over 3000 songs he has composed, he has brought his music to enthusiastic audiences, both in Lebanon and abroad, focusing attention on the folk music of his homeland, performing poetry and Zajal to inspire patriotism, love, devotion, and honor.
In tonight's concert, yet another mesmerizing voice of Lebanon, Naji Youssef, using his agile, melifluous baritone, honors the great master in a concert of some of his most beloved songs and mawwals, joined by an ensemble of master musicians.

Kid Rock has assembled a team of Detroit titans to show support for other cities in need, and to show that Detroit, while experiencing it's own difficulties still has the power to unite to help others around the country. Kid Rock, in association with this powerhouse group of local Detroit business people, will donate money to local charities, causes and individuals via the Kid Rock Foundation, all along every stop of his underplay club tour. Radio station partners in each tour market will help determine those individuals and organizations in need. The tour will feature stops at Nashville's famed Ryman Theater and New York's Beacon Theater to name a few, a big change from Kid Rock's Born Free Tour, which saw him playing the country's biggest stadiums, arenas and amphitheaters.

Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts are a wonderful tradition: some of today's most capitvating performers giving intimate one-hour concerts followed by complimentary coffee and refreshments with the artists.

Leon Russell is a music legend and perhaps the most accomplished and versatile musician in the history of rock 'n' roll. In his distinguished and unique 50-year career, he has played on, arranged, written, and/or produced some of the best records in popular music, and he has worked with a colossal list of all-star musicians and groups, including (but certainly not limited to) Willie Nelson, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, B.B. King, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Byrds, and The Righteous Brothers.

Cotton Club Parade is a celebration of Duke Ellington's years at the famed Harlem nightclub in the 1920s and '30s, when the joint was jumping with revues featuring big band swing and blues, dancers, singers, comedians and novelty acts. With Ellington's music as the centerpiece, this production re-imagines one of the composer's Cotton Club floor shows right here on the City Center stage.
Cotton Club Parade is part of a new producing partnership between New York City Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center that will combine the organizations' specialties: musical theater and jazz.

The TAYLOR SWIFT SPEAK NOW WORLD TOUR 2011, launched February 9th in Singapore, kicks off in the US on May 27th with two sold-out shows at the Qwest Center in Omaha and now wraps with two shows at Madison Square Garden just before Thanksgiving.
Taylor, who is currently nominated for four Academy of Country Music Awards - including the evening's biggest honor, the fan-voted Entertainer of the Year Award, spent most of the month of February playing to capacity crowds in Asia, and this month she has headlined arenas throughout Europe. During the show, Taylor performs on two different stages -- playing several different acoustic and electric guitars and also the piano and the ukulele, and has earned rave reviews from critics at every SPEAK NOW tour stop.

Few artists can claim almost two decades of musical consistency on their resume. Even fewer can claim to have produced classic material during that time span. Acclaimed hardcore hip-hop duo Mobb Deep is one of those precious few. "Shook Ones, Pt. 2," "Survival of the Fittest," "Hell on Earth," "Quiet Storm," "Burn," and "Twisted" - to the average eye, they read like song titles. To the student of hip-hop culture, though, they read like chapters in the book of hip-hop.

Mezzo-soprano Alicia Hall Moran brings diverse influences and passions together in a rich, quintessentially modern artistic brew. She is constantly balancing performances in the realms of musical theater (currently understudying Bess and Audra McDonald in George and Ira Gershwin's Porgy & Bess, directed by Diane Paulus), opera-cabaret (currently performing with the motown project at The Kitchen, Le Poisson Rouge, Regattabar, etc.), art performance (currently collaborating with visual artists such as Joan Jonas, Adam Pendleton, Simone Leigh, and Liz Magic Laser), and jazz (most frequently with husband and pianist Jason Moran), while consistently finding outlets for her other loves - dance (music for Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane Dance Company's award-winning Chapel/Chapter) and writing (in her weekly classical music column Suite Sounds for the New York Amsterdam News).
Upholding the traditions of her great-great uncle Hall Johnson (legendary choral director, composer, and preserver of the Negro Spiritual) and her greatest teachers (Shirley Verrett, Adele Addison, Hilda Harris, David Jones, and Warren Wilson) without being tethered to the classical repertoire, Moran's performances transcend all expectations. Her singing and theatrical sensibilities lead purely into a sensual musical world where the lyricism of Marvin Gaye and the high drama of Puccini collide.

The soulful voice of vocalist, songwriter, and producer N'Dea Davenport first emerged in 1991 when she became the front woman for the British funk band The Brand New Heavies. Featuring international hits "Never Stop," "Dream Come True," and "Stay this Way," the band's self-titled 1992 debut album brought acid jazz to pop's mainstream. As the band's lead singer, Davenport's kinetic stage presence and soaring vocals drove the band's groove into the hearts, feet, and hips of dancing audiences.

Strawberry Fields is a look-a-like, sound-a-like Beatles tribute, dedicated to bringing you as close to a real Beatles concert as you can get. The tribute takes you on a Magical Mystery Tour beginning in 1964 complete with mop top hair, black suits with thin ties, and the first four albums of music. The next stop, 1967, features the psychedelic era of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album with all the costumes and jackets on the album cover. The last stop includes the White Album, Abbey Road, and of course Let It Be.

Considered by many to be "The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience". Come see the show, hear the music, and discover the story behind the music of the greatest rock band ever in this two and a half-hour multi-media retrospective of Led Zeppelin with selections from every album! The New York Times says, "It's a hot ticket!"

Slick Rick, born Ricky Walters in the United Kingdom in 1965, is the most successful British-American rapper in music history. After initially striking gold with 1985's historic single "La Di Da Di," a collaboration with fellow visionary Doug E. Fresh, Rick moved to New York City, where he signed with Russell Simmons and Def Jam Records. In 1988, he released his first solo album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. The disc hit No. 1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip Hop charts and was one of the first hip hop records to go platinum.

The Met's visually extravagant production is back for an encore engagement. Richard Croft once again is Gandhi in Philip Glass's unforgettable opera, which the Washington Post calls "a profound and beautiful work of theater."

Jimi Hendrix documentary filmmaker and promoter David Kramer returns to B.B. King Blues Club & Grill to present his sixth annual Jimi Hendrix Birthday Tribute Concert and CD release party for Ducks Can Groove. It's hard to believe Jimi Hendrix would have been 69 years old this year!

Wonderous Stories will celebrate the 40th anniversary of George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh" with an all-star big band performance of the album in its entirety. The show was performed three times previously at the famous B.B. King Blues Club in Times Square with capacity crowds. In those years special guests have included members and former members of the Alan Parsons Project, Vanilla Fudge, The Hooters, Zebra, Tower of Power, Ted Nugent, Dire Straits, and much more. We have also had people who were behind the scenes at the original 1971 Bangladesh show and special guest promoter Sid Bernstein (Beatles at Shea). Plans are already in the works to make this one the most memorable concerts of them all with very special guests to be announced and added to the show as we get closer. We already have many of the performers confirmed from the bands mentioned above and are ready to add some notable national performers! Sit back and enjoy the massive Wall of Sound as we present the "Concert for Bangladesh" plus extra songs performed by our guests who made them famous! Moneys from this show will be donated to the cancer society in the memory of George Harrison, who died of cancer in 2002.
Wonderous Stories has become the band that people say can play anything. They are no strangers to playing complete renditions of classic albums. The band consists of Kenny Forgione, Tommy Williams, Kevin McCann, Ricky Martinez, and Mark Bonder. They all sing and play multiple instruments. For three years in a row at B.B. King Blues Club they did a massive recreation of George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh." They have also done entire albums and album sides by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Paul McCartney, and more.

Indonesian monkey chanting, Mongolian throat singing, and Balinese body popping are just a few of the things artist Akim Funk Buddha has embraced as a means of redefining hip-hop. For his latest Hip-Hop Holiday, Akim presents two nights of hip-hop wizardry. On Friday, he explores the art of the rhyme with the help of a DJ, two MCs, vocalists, dancers, and other special guests. Then, on Saturday, Funk Buddha takes the soul train global with a mash-up of traditional Asian and African music, rap, and more.

Featuring THREE IMAGINARY BOYS (1979), SEVENTEEN SECONDS (1980) and FAITH (1981) played in their entirety.
Due to overwhelming demand The Cure "REFLECTIONS" show - first experienced in the spring of 2011 at the Vivid Festival in Sydney - will be performed seven more times in November 2011.
"REFLECTIONS" sees an evolving line up of band members past and present playing the first three Cure albums live in their entirety - from the punchy, offbeat, starkly unadorned songs of Three Imaginary Boys (1979), through the increasingly shadowy and quixotic pieces of Seventeen Seconds (1980), to the singular melancholic grandeur of Faith (1981) - in a truly extraordinary concert experience.

Picturing Science: Museum Scientists and Imaging Technologies, an exhibition of more than 20 sets of striking large-format prints, showcases advanced imaging technologies used by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and reveals once-hidden, intricate details of both natural phenomena and cultural artifacts. The exhibition features images that were created in pursuit of scientific knowledge but also resulted in visually arresting art. It explores how such imaging technologies -- including infrared photography, scanning electron microscopy, and computed tomography (CT) -- make it possible to examine and analyze a range of specimens at levels of detail previously unimaginable, advancing science and providing new insights into the visual splendor of the universe.